Steelers 2nd Round Draft Pick – Mike Adams OT, Ohio State

The Steelers continue to work on the offensive line now in the 2nd round by taking Mike Adams, Tackle from OSU. It’s clear that they are going to do all they can to keep Ben Roethlisberger’s jersey clean this year and in the future. All those injury plagued years, getting sacked 40+ times annually are quite possibly becoming a thing of past. For this fan, it’s been far too long since they’ve allocated multiple high picks to the interior line on offense. The blockers for Sean Kugler to work with are turning what has been a liability for so many years into a potential powerhouse unit with solid depth.

Both DeCastro and Adams will still have to prove themselves and there’s always a learning curve jumping to the NFL level, but the upside is huge for both players.

In his final two seasons as a starter, the Adams registered 167 knockdowns and 33 touchdown-resulting blocks so he’s no stranger to starting and being productive. Sean Kugler, Steelers offensive line coach has a solid prospect here again to work with.

Even with the character issues, there’s just too much value here to pass up for a guy who could have been a 1st round Tackle. The front office did their homework on him and this could be a huge steal. Adams played LT but the Steelers could move him to the right side to compete with oft injured Willie Colon. Personally I’d feel better having Gilbert move to LT and let Adams fight it out and ultimately beat out Colon for the RT job at some point soon

According to Steelers GM Kevin Colbert : “We told him that he’s off our draft board. These are the stipulations that you have to accomplish for us to consider to draft you.” “He met our criteria, he met our stipulations and we were comfortable in taking him where we took him.” “We’re comfortable in taking the risk, he was forthcoming about it. young people make mistakes”

Adams has the size and power, 6’7″ 323 lbs to be a top flight Tackle for the Steelers. Talent and potential aren’t the issue here. If he can stay out of his trouble the sky is the limit.

Our own K train picked Adams to the Steelers in the 2nd round in his final mock draft, big props once again!

Adams has flashed talent at left tackle for the Buckeyes, not allowing many sacks when actually on the field. Suspensions for violating team rules and his part in Ohio State’s “Tattoo Five” scandal, as well as various injuries, have kept him on the sideline too often during his career. He is not a flashy player, but he can do the job and has the frame for the next level. He will be more of a backup option when he enters the NFL and would struggle if thrown into a starting role. Based off his experience at a big-time school and frame, he should be taken somewhere in the later rounds.

Strengths

Adams has a good frame and good enough footwork to not get beat at the college level. He employs a decent pass set to get back and anchor himself against the bull rush, and has the footwork to shuffle and keep his feet chopping when blocking to drive a man downfield in the run game. His big-game experience playing at Ohio State helps his value.

Weaknesses

Adams is not a very exciting player and can struggle at times with effort-based issues that don’t allow him to get much movement on the line when run-blocking. He is more of a catch-and-react blocker than one who delivers blows, and will need to play with more fire and look to unleash his inner-athleticism to be able to succeed at the next level. Those suspensions and injuries will also eat away at his draft stock.